Alduin

Description:

Height 4’Weight 125 lb.Alignment Neutral GoodBackground HermitPersonality Traits By living in seclusion and following the druidic teachings, I have learned to control the seething storm within. I am able to maintain my composure, where in the past I would lash out at any perceived insult. I never feared danger, but now I fight when I will it, not when it wills me.Bond Despite my exile, I remain loyal to Rockholme, and my people. I know there are some who remain loyal to me, and will never believe the lies my treacherous uncle has spread.Ideal I long to clear my name, and restore my honor among Dwarven kind.Flaw I will never forget how I was wronged, my honor besmirched. Betrayed by my own kin. The anger sleeps for now, but I will never forget…

Ability Score Increase Your Constitution score increases by 2.Darkvision Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.Dwarven Resilience You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damageDwarven Combat Training You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and warhammer.Tool Proficiency You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.Stonecunning Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.Magic Resistant +2 Saves vs Arcane Magic (whether beneficial or detrimental)Languages You can speak, read, and write Thyatian and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.Ability Score Increase [Hill Dwarf] Your Wisdom score increases by 1.Dwarven Toughness [Hill Dwarf] Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

CLASSTRAITS [Druid]

Druidic You know Druidic, the secret language of druids. You can speak the language and use it to leave hidden messages. You and others who know this language automatically spot such a message. Others spot the message’s presence with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check but can’t decipher it without magic.Spellcasting Drawing on the divine essence o f nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will.Wild Shape You can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain
expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table.Combat Wild Shape [Circle of the Moon] you gain the ability to use Wild Shape on your turn as a bonus action, rather than as an action. Additionally, while you are transformed by Wild Shape, you can use a bonus action to expend one spell slot to regain 1d8 hit points per level of the spell slot expended.Circle Forms [Circle of the Moon] The rites of your circle grant you the ability to transform into more dangerous animal forms. Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1 (you ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table, but must abide by the other limitations there). Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down.

CLASSTRAITS [Barbarian]

Unarmored Defense While you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.Rage In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action. While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing heavy armor:
• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a barbarian, as shown in the Rage Damage column of the Barbarian table.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging. Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you
haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action. Once you have raged the number of times shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Bio:

Born to a noble family of Rockholme that claimed descent from an ancient bloodline, Alduin dreamed of glory and victory on the battlefield. None questioned his courage, nor his devotion to advancing the cause of Dwarven kind, but his arrogance and brash temperament marked him out as a troublemaker, who was not yet ready for the responsibilities of leadership.

Much to the chagrin of his uncle, who had managed to achieve a powerful position in the kingdom by marrying into an highly-placed family, Alduin became obsessed with the legend of the ancient Dwarven kingdom from which his family claimed descent. Despite his uncle’s insistence that it was nothing but a fairy tale, Alduin would periodically set out with a few companions to track down various leads.

Betrayal

He did not suspect the true depth of his uncle’s treachery. On one such excursion, his party was ambushed by slavers; and as Alduin and his companions prepared for combat, two spies planted by his uncle suddenly turned on the others. Betrayed from within, they were decimated by the attack, and Alduin watched his companions fall one by one.

But then Alduin tapped into a primal rage, something he had experienced only once before in his life. Much to the surprise of his attackers, he was able to carve a bloody mess through them and escape into the wild.

But once the rage wore off, exhaustion took him. No doubt his pursuers would have caught up and finished the job, had a wandering druid not found his unconscious form.

Exile

Within the safety of the druid’s grove, Alduin recovered from his wounds, and sought to find out what he could about events back home.

Through contact with an old friend, he learned that his uncle had been using his influence to spread lies, claiming Alduin had been in league with Glantrian slavers all along; that his talk of an ancient dwarven kingdom was nothing but a ruse, intended to fool young Dwarves into joining him on one of his ‘excursions’, only so he could leads them into a trap.

Alduin burned with rage at the betrayal, at having his name trampled into the dirt. He longed to return and confront his enemies, but his friend warned him not to. His uncle had grown more powerful, powerful enough that Alduin’s word would mean nothing against his.

So he remained in exile, under the tutelage of the druidic order. As time went by, the tranquility of the grove began to make itself known to him, and he felt its influence. Slowly but surely, the anger began to fade.

It just so happened that, during his time in the grove, Alduin befriended a young halfling ranger by the name of Xanos…

JOURNAL – QUESTS

Hunting the Iron Ring
The Iron Ring has taken the family of one of my companions as prisoner. I will aid him in hunting down this Iron Ring and liberating his family, for the Glantrians and their slaver ways are an abomination that must be eradicated.
– The Halfling mistress of the town, Saskia, is conducting her own investigation into the cult. It is likely she has not let us in on the full extent of her
machinations.
– We make way for a town named Sukiskyn, where someone named Peater questioned a tattooed individual with potential links to the cult
– Peater spotted the tattooed man making a deal with the goblins
– The tatooed individual is named Merricks
– Merricks paid a few goblin clans to attack homesteads in the area, for reasons unknown

Map to an ancient Dwarven Kingdom
After all this time, the quest I abandoned years ago is calling me again. The map has returned to my hands, and I can’t help but feel the hand of fate.

JOURNAL – NOTES

Session 2
– Raided a necromancer’s cave, rescued prisoners and returned them to the town safely, earning Jorum’s gratitude
– Stopped a goblin raid on Sukisen
– Found out that three goblin tribes are attacking the town (one of which raided the horses and deserted the other tribes)

Session 3
– Young boy told Pyrus that he had seen Merricks leaving his grandmother’s bedroom alone
– Another goblin attack
– Alexandos seemed quite eager for us to focus our attention on Merrick rather than Peater
– Party is suspicious of Alexandos for travelling alone between villages when conducting trade
– Goblin prisoner claimed there was a goblin king called Gnash
– Eventually revealed Merricks paid them
– We killed Gnash

Session 5
– Set off in pursuit of Alexandos, the villagers decided to remain in their smallhold
– Met Loshad the Centaur, agreed to help free horses from a nearby encampment
– The men in the encampment wear the symbol of the Iron Ring